MOSCOW, July 18 (Reuters) - Ukraine's Naftogaz said on Wednesday it was ready to consider an amicable agreement with Russian gas giant Gazprom if it did not harm talks on negotiating a new contract, RIA news agency reported.

Naftogaz and Gazprom have been in a long-running dispute over gas contracts. Naftogaz's Chief Executive Officer Andriy Kobolyev said Gazprom's talk of an amicable agreement was "just a waste of time" but that it was prepared to consider it. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh Writing by Tom Balmforth; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)